Dresdener study group security policy

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Dresden Study Group Security Policy
(DSS)
purpose Scientific and journalistic institute activity, (Ed.)  DSS working papers
Chair: Rolf Lehmann , Wolfgang Scheler  (from 2005)
Establishment date: October 16, 1990 in Dresden
Dissolution date: October 29, 2015 DSS i. L., deletion January 25, 2017 (Federal Gazette)
Number of members: 33  (1990)
Seat : Dresden

The Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik  e. V. (DSS) was founded in 1990 as an association of social, technical and military scientists of the military academy "Friedrich Engels" in Dresden, and worked as a political and ideological independent, scientific institute of peace research .

The aim of the scientific and journalistic activity was to have an opinion-forming effect in the sense of a foreign and security policy which, in accordance with the UN Charter, enables peace without the use or threat of military force.

task

The study community saw it as their task

  • To preserve research results in the field of security policy and theory, especially from the last decade of the existence of the GDR and the military academy, and to make them usable;
  • To maintain and promote the research potential of the association members by jointly securing the institutional, material-editorial and personnel-communicative basis;
  • To contribute to research and education in the field of security policy;
  • to be active in an opinion-forming and political advisory capacity by developing and publishing security policy analyzes and concepts;
  • to promote scientific communication and disputes in the field of security policy through consultations, publications and other initiatives.

history

prehistory

Since the beginning of the 1980s, the methodological and ideological foundations of military-theoretical thinking in the GDR have undergone a fundamental upheaval. It was based on the insight that a military system conflict leads to the annihilation of humanity and that this war can no longer be a means of politics.

At the "Friedrich Engels" military academy in Dresden, starting in the philosophy department, new security policy thinking about war, peace and armed forces gradually grew. This was based on the assumption that, as a result of the excessive effects of weapons, a “great” war could no longer achieve any political goals; it would mean the end of politics in the nuclear age.

The interdisciplinary discussion group of professors, members of the academy's management and guests from outside, which began in February 1987 in the format of professors' talks, was devoted to open scientific discussions on almost all questions of security policy, without any binding specifications. The protagonists of New Thought at the Military Academy became sought-after partners of the Scientific Council for Peace Research (WRFF) at the Academy of Sciences of the GDR , which was founded in October 1987. Major General Rolf Lehmann was appointed to this body by the Dresden Military Academy. Scientists of the military academy in uniform were involved in the German-German dialogue of soldiers during maneuver observations, international conferences and scientific meetings. Peace research, cooperative security, disarmament and conversion did not get a military academic opportunity until the beginning of the military reform and the advancing state crisis in the GDR.

From late autumn 1989 onwards, several academics were involved in the development of the GDR's military policy guidelines . In February 1990 they formed the core of the non-structural interdisciplinary scientific area of ​​security (IWBS) of the military academy, which initially started work with 24 officers, with the prospect of establishing an institute. A consequent scientific approach to all questions of the permanently changing domestic and foreign policy development, with an investigation of all conceivable - including undesirable - variants found expression in the working papers of the IWBS, which appeared from the beginning of May 1990.

  • IWBS working papers, Volume 1, Military Academy "Friedrich Engels", Dresden, May 1990.

  • IWBS working papers, volume 2, Military Academy "Friedrich Engels", Dresden, June 1990.

  • IWBS working papers, Volume 3, Military Academy "Friedrich Engels", Dresden, Sept. 1990.

In July / August 1990 the existence of an independent GDR had become illusory. Working contacts between East and West, which had grown in the struggle for non-violent solutions for the future, were increasingly dismantled. With the decision of the People's Chamber of the GDR to join the Federal Republic of Germany on October 3, 1990, almost nothing seemed to last for the military academy, the IWBS and their scientists in Germany, which was no longer divided. At the end of September 1990, most IWBS scientists wanted, should or had to terminate their employment at the instigation of the still-GDR government. The material, institutional and personal basis of the IWBS was thus lost. By the end of 1990, all remaining academics had been dismissed.

Under these conditions, independent maintenance of the existing interdisciplinary working ability of the interested scientists of the IWBS in a scientific follow-up institute was a daring and courageous decision, which, however, could only be prepared through a registered association on the basis of the civil code in September 1990.

Foundation and status

DSS e. V. Charter of incorporation 1990 (excerpt, with official note, 1991).

The Dresden Study Group Security Policy (DSS) e. V. became:

  • Erected on October 16, 1990, by 33 founding members, in Dresden ;
  • registered on February 4, 1991, under VR 877 in the register of associations at the Dresden District Court;
  • officially announced on February 21, 1991 in the Sächsische Zeitung , Dresden.
  • Not for profit awarded.

The statutes explain the origin of the study group in paragraph 3: “The DSS e. V. ties in its work to the scientific work of social scientists, military scientists and technical scientists, which they carried out within the framework of the IWBS of the military academy `Friedrich Engels` until its dissolution."

The statutes stipulated that the DSS, as a scientific (non-material) association, exclusively and directly pursues charitable purposes.

Membership and leadership

Membership in this unique institute of former scientists as an association required natural persons to provide evidence of qualification for scientific work in the field of security policy.

  • Founding members (Oct. 1990): 33 scientists from the former Military Academy in Dresden.
  • Membership development: 39 (1991), 26 (1996), 22 (2001), 25 (2006), 27 (2011), 23 (2016).

The DSS founding members from the Military Academy in Dresden subsequently received an addition from other scientific disciplines and locations throughout Germany. Members of the DSS e. V. previously worked in the following institutions: Military Political University (MPHS), Berlin-Grünau ; Military History Institute (MGI) / Military History Research Office (MGFA), Potsdam; Command of the People's Navy (Kdo. VM), Rostock; Management of the military district (MB V), Neubrandenburg; Officers' College (OHS) LSK / LV, Kamenz ; Officers' college of the border troops of the GDR, Suhl ; Dresden Transport University; Management Academy of the Bundeswehr (FüAkBw), Hamburg .

The general assembly met once a year in December and without guests. The board was elected by her for a period of two years. The board selected the chairman, his two deputies and the treasurer from among its ranks.

  • Chairman of the Executive Board: Rolf Lehmann (1990–2005), Wolfgang Scheler (from 2005);
  • Treasurer: Werner Scholz, (from 1992) Eberhardt Sturm, (from 1997) Eberhard Haueis.

The general meeting elected three financial auditors, who reported once a year on the book and cash audit (in December) as well as after the 2009 colloquium and at the end of the association's activities and liquidation .

Main subject of the DSS studies and public relations

The following subjects were at the center of the critical discussion:

  • the militarization of the foreign and security policy of Germany and the European Union (EU);
  • the reorientation of the Bundeswehr to combat missions;
  • the new world order wars of the USA and NATO ;
  • the events of war in major crisis regions.

An important area of ​​study was:

  • the analysis and evaluation of the security and defense policy of Russia as well
  • the translation activity for security and military policy original documents from Russian in order to provide scientifically adequate, German-language reading and study material.

It has been the subject of studies again and again

  • the theory of peace, war and armed forces. It was made fruitful as a means of knowledge for understanding the security problems in the world situation.

A number of studies have been published

  • for the historical-critical analysis and evaluation of security policy thinking in the GDR and its upheaval, primarily at the Military Academy of the National People's Army .

The studies of the DSS e. V. have always been associated with activities in the peace movement, e.g. B .:

  • Design of the annual Dresden Peace Symposium;
  • Moderation of the annual panel on the World Day of Peace;
  • Design and organization of the Dresden Symposium on Global Peace Order;
  • Design of the scientific colloquium in 2005 and 2009.

Completion of club activities, academic legacy

At the same time as the 25th anniversary of DSS e. V., the general assembly of the association on October 29, 2015 passed the resolution on the dissolution and liquidation of the registered association.

In the period that followed, the journalistic and organizational activities of the Dresden Study Group Security Policy i. L. continued by a group of liquidators headed by Wolfgang Scheler. With the official announcement of the deletion in the Federal Gazette on January 27, 2017, the association's activities ended (the association expired).

In the course of the liquidation, possibilities were created for the scientists to continue their work by means of scientific discussion and for the continued use of the scientific work results. The DSS Working Papers series ( ISSN  1436-6010 ), issues 4 to 115 and 10 issues, partial / special editions (i.e. around 125 issues in 25 years) are:

a) provided as a (mandatory) printed copy:

b) listed online in a blog, as a title overview, with table of contents;

c) made available, available online free of charge, for selected issues as e-books in the Saxon document server Qucosa (EFRE project at SLUB Dresden );

d) offered as an e-book on demand, in the WeltTrends shop, Wissenschaftsverlag Potsdam.

The maintenance of the scientific legacy of DSS e. V. is the subject of the monthly discussion forums for which interested scientists in the GbR Dresden Security Policy Discussion Group (DGKSP) have met nine times a year since January 2016.

For former DSS members who are still active as a journalist, the publication series DGKSP Discussion Papers ( ISSN  2627-3470 ) enables publication as an e-book. These publications can be accessed online free of charge in the Saxon document server Qucosa (EFRE project at SLUB Dresden ).

Series of DSS working papers

The main focus was already at the time of foundation on ensuring the journalistic activities of the members. In continuity with the IWBS working papers , the DSS working papers were published as early as December 1990 .

  • First issue of the DSS working papers, issue 4, December 1990. Still in the IWBS layout.

  • 25 years of DSS e. V., closing event, DSS working papers, issue 116, 2016.

  • Last edition of the DSS series, special issue [117], June 2016.

Around 150 authors contributed to the publications of the DSS working papers series ( ISSN  1436-6010 ).

The scientific and linguistic editing as well as print preparation, the financing, the postal distribution to the individual and institutional customers was done in-house. A low printing fee and shipping costs were requested.

The recipients of the DSS working papers series included:

In the ten years from 2005 to 2015, around 5,200 copies were shipped.

Colloquium 2005 and 2009 in Dresden City Hall

Colloquium Philosophical Thinking on War and Peace

The colloquium on September 13, 2005 in Dresden City Hall (around 40 participants) was devoted to the topic that determined the spirit of the study community and with which the jubilee Wolfgang Scheler was connected in a special way.

  • Topic: Philosophical thinking about war and peace. Revolutionary insights at the military academy and their continued impact in the Dresden study group on security policy.
Venue: Dresden City Hall.
  • Venue: Council Chamber in Dresden City Hall.
  • Authors' contributions: 9 DSS speakers, published in: DSS working papers, issue 76/2005.

Colloquium Military Academy "Friedrich Engels "

The colloquium on January 10, 2009, on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the military academy, turned out to be a high point in the critical review of its academic achievements. This was the largest and most complex DSS event.

  • Topic: "Friedrich Engels" military academy, historical-critical review of the 50th anniversary of its foundation.
  • Venue: Large ballroom in Dresden City Hall.
  • Participants: more than 240 registered participants and invited guests. Each participant was given the documentation from the military academy “Friedrich Engels”, 1959–1990 (Demmer / Haueis) (see illustration below, 2nd from right).

  • Main building portal, former military academy "Friedrich Engels", 2009.

  • DSS Colloquium 2009, on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the military academy, opening in the large hall.

  • Organizing committee: former officers resident in Dresden; Head: Major General Egon Gleau.
  • Content design: DSS e. V .; Moderation: Ernst Woit.
  • Presentation and complementary presentation: Military historian Paul Heider (DSS e.V.) and Rüdiger Wenzke (MGFA).
  • Discussion: 7 DSS members, 2 guests, 1 foreign guest and 13 submitted contributions.
  • Publications: Documentation MAFE, 2008 (Demmer / Haueis, see above) as well as the conference volume DSS working papers, issue 95, with a preface by Admiral Theodor Hoffmann .

DSS event year

DSS discussion forums - in January, March, April, May, October

In the four months (January, March, April, May, October), discussion forums were held on biannually planned, broad-based foreign and security policy topics, own publications were debated and disputes were held looking back at the company's own development history. A prepared keynote introduced the discussion. One month was reserved for the free choice of topics for current political events. Further thematic explanations can be found in chronological order in the DSS working papers, issue 115/2015. In addition, questions relating to club life were discussed.

Venues: Dresden, August-Bebel-Straße building complex , basement block A; Military History Museum in Dresden; House on Wasaplatz, Dresden; TU Dresden guest house , Weberplatz.

Half of the impulse contributions from these 100 or so events (1990–2016) were made by the prominent guests invited. Among them were (in alphabetical order):

Dresden Peace Symposium - in February

Venue: Dresdner Volkshaus

Together with the Saxon Peace Initiative Dresden e. V. designed the DSS e. V. eighteen times the annual public Dresden Peace Symposium (1992 to 2010) on topics of the peace movement.

  • Venue: Great Hall, House of the Unions ( Dresdner Volkshaus ).
  • Authors' contributions: 7 speakers from the DSS, 10 guest speakers (Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Kassel, Munich, Prague, Vienna).
  • The entire documentation is published in 15 issues of the DSS working papers.

Panel on World Day of Peace - in September

Dreikönigskirche Dresden, side entrance.

Together with the Saxon Peace Initiative Dresden e. V. organized the DSS e. V. held twenty-one annual public panel discussions (1993 to 2013) on current issues of the peace movement.

  • Venue: rooms in the house of the church ( Dreikönigskirche ), Dresden.
  • Moderators of the DSS e. V .: Erich Hocke, Wolfgang Scheler, Rolf Lehmann; (from 1997) Ernst Woit; (from 2006) Wilfried Schreiber; (from 2008)  Horst Sylla .
  • Panel guests: 1 MEP, 4 MdB, 1 ambassador a. D., 10 staff officers and 2 officers of the Bundeswehr, 1 military dean, 1 pastor, 4 scientists.

Some of the contributions are published in the DSS working papers.

Venue: Kulturakademie Dresden, Bamberger Straße.

Dresden Symposium on Global Peace Order - in November

The project group “Global Peace Order ”, founded by Prof. Volker Bialas (Munich), was initiated by Ernst Woit through the DSS e. V. as the 1st to 18th  symposium “For a Global Peace Order” (1997–2014).

  • Venue: Rooms in the Dresden Culture Academy, Bamberger Straße.
  • Topics were:
    • Social relationship to nature, question of war - peace;
    • International law and legal awareness for a global peace order;
    • "Pax Americana" or Just Peace;
    • European integration and peace;
    • Militarism and anti-militarism today;
    • The Great Depression and Peace;
    • The rise of China to a world power and the opportunities for a global peace order.
  • Contributions by authors: 9 speakers from DSS, 12 guest speakers ( Berlin , Bremen , Budapest , Greifswald , Leibnitz-Sozietät , Leipzig , Munich , Potsdam , Waltersdorf ).
  • The entire documentation is published in 19 issues of the DSS working papers.

Further contacts with the public

literature

  • DSS - Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Security Policy, list of working papers from 1990–2015, with overviews of contents, in blog: Time - Thoughts.
  • For the demilitarization of security , 10, 20, 25 years Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitspektiven e. V., edited volumes, in: DSS working papers, H. 50/2001, 100/2010, 115/2015. [13] Available URN: urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14-qucosa2-209278 [14]
  • Wolfgang Scheler: The work of the study group for a peace in common security , in: Demmilitarisierung der Sicherheit, 25 years Dresdener study group Security Policy e. V., DSS working papers, no. 115, Dresden 2015, pp. 6–91. Available URN: urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14-qucosa2-321465 [15] .
  • Peace thinking and peace movement in symbiosis , final event, Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik, October 2015, DSS working papers, H. [116], Dresden 2016, 46 pp. Available URN: urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14-qucosa2-327023 [16]

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik (ed.): Founding announcement DSS e. V. Saxon Newspaper. Dresden February 21, 1991.
  2. ^ A b Dresden Study Group Security Policy (DSS) e. V .: Articles of Association of October 16, 1990 . DSS working papers, No. 50 , 2001, ISSN  1436-6010 , p. 61 f. and Appendix 22 . [1]
  3. ^ Max Schmidt: Peace research in cooperation with the military academy "Friedrich Engels" . In: Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik e. V. (Ed.): Military Academy "Friedrich Engels", historical-critical review of the 50th anniversary of its foundation . DSS working papers, No. 95 , 2009, ISSN  1436-6010 , p. 98 to 116 . [2]
  4. ↑ Wolfgang Demmer, Eberhard Haueis: Military Academy "Friedrich Engels", 1959–1990. A documentation. DSS Working Papers, 95 (Special Edition). Dresden 2008, p. 87 . [3]
  5. ↑ Wolfgang Scheler : The military academy in the democratic revolution and military reform. In: Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik e. V. (Ed.): The military academy in the democratic revolution 1989/90, beginning and end. DSS working papers, No. 114 , 2015, ISSN  1436-6010 , p. 10-30 . [4]
  6. ↑ Guiding principles of military policy in the GDR (February 28, 1990) . In: Demilitarization of Security. 10 years of DSS e. V. DSS working papers, No. 50 , 2001, ISSN  1436-6010 , p. 174 ff., Annex 9 . [5]
  7. ^ Rolf Lehmann: Scientists in uniform facing new challenges . Memories of an eventful time. In: Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik e. V. (Ed.): For the demilitarization of security . DSS working papers, No. 100 , 2010, ISSN  1436-6010 , p. 20th ff . [6]
  8. ↑ Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik e. V. (Ed.): Articles of Association of October 16, 1990, amended on December 11, 2007. DSS Working Papers, No. 100 , 2010, ISSN  1436-6010 , p. 267, Annex 6 . [7]
  9. ↑ Wolfgang Scheler: Foreword to the first edition of multipolar . In: WeltTrends e. V./Freundeskreis of the journal multipolar (ed.): Multipolar - journal for critical security research . No. 1 . WeltTrends - Potsdamer Wissenschaftsverlag, 2017, ISBN 978-3-945878-46-0 , ISSN  2511-6363 , p. 2 .
  10. ^ See editor's note in: (Ed.) Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitspektiven i. L .: Peace thinking and peace movement in symbiosis. Closing event Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik October 2015, DSS working papers, issue [116], Dresden 2016, p. 4. urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14-qucosa2-327023 [8]
  11. ↑ DSS - Dresden Study Group Security Policy . List of publications from 1990 to the present. In: time - thoughts blog . ( zeitgedanken.blog ).
  12. ↑ DSS working papers series . In: Catalog of the Saxon State Library - State and University Library Dresden (SLUB), in: EFRE project Saxon Document Server, Quality Content of Saxony (Qucosa). ISSN  1436-6010 , urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14-qucosa2-209278 .
  13. ↑ World Trends Shop. In: DSS working papers. Retrieved January 17, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Series DGKSP discussion papers . In: Catalog of the Saxon State Library - State and University Library Dresden (SLUB), in: EFRE project Saxon Document Server, Quality Content of Saxony (Qucosa). ISSN  2627-3470 , urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14-qucosa2-325519 .
  15. ^ Authors of the DSS working papers. In: Demilitarization of Security, 25 Years of the Dresden Study Group Security Policy. V. DSS working papers, No. 115 , 2015, ISSN  1436-6010 , p. 241 ff., Annex 4 . [9]
  16. ↑ Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik e. V. (Ed.): Permanent subscriber to the DSS working papers . DSS working papers, No. 115 , 2015, ISSN  1436-6010 , p. 245, Annex 5 . [10]
  17. ↑ Wolfgang Demmer, Eberhard Haueis: Military Academy "Friedrich Engels", 1959–1990. A documentation. Ed .: Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik e. V. DSS Working Papers, 95 (special edition), 2008, ISSN  1436-6010 . [11]
  18. ↑ Wolfgang Scheler: The work of the study community for a peace in common security . In: Demilitarization of Security, 25 Years of the Dresden Study Group Security Policy. V. DSS working papers, No. 115 , 2015, ISSN  1436-6010 , p. 6 to 91 . [12]
  19. ^ Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Security Policy - List of Working Papers 1990–2015. In: time - thoughts. Retrieved January 17, 2019 .